Cracks In Porcelain Jars
by Secluded Illusion
Summary: And fine cracks raced across the surface of the porcelain, invisible, until finally, the jar shattered and spilled all it held for the world to see. Companion fic to Shattered and Burning.


A/N : This is a companion fic to Shattered and Burning. Just a look-see at what other characters saw Naruto as, how the viewed him.

Thank you to John the Angel, MoonPrincess623, and Tianna M.V.A for your support, and I am _so_ sorry that I didn't put this out sooner. I intended to, I promise!

Also, Adachi is not a canon character. I just needed a name for him.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any semblance there-of_

**Cracks In Porcelain Jars**

When the Demon brat first started visiting Ichiraku, Adachi was certain that Ayame-san and old man Ichiraku would throw that piece of trash out. However, that isn't what happened. They let it stay, encouraged it to come back, and treated it as if he were _human. _As if it were deserving of _kindness._

He brought up this error in judgment to Teuchi-san, and was promptly kicked out of the stand. And beautiful, kind Ayame-san looked on him with disgust and told him to never visit again while he held such prejudice.

He was certain that it was that _fox_ putting them both under an illusion of its own humanity. That he had to release them from the fox's clutches.

And so, he watched as the filthy creature became more and more comfortable around Ichiraku's, as Teuchi-san and Ayame-san fell further and further into madness. He made a few attempts to free them from their bewitchment, but the fox was canny, and always escaped before he could put an end to it. With each escape, with each failure, his frustration grew. He had watched his leader fall to this beast, had lost family and friends to it and could do _nothing!_ And now, he watched the woman he had fancied and thought of fall to the fox, a man he respected and hoped to call father bow to this beast! And he still could do _nothing!_ So he backed off and planned, gathered those of like mind and waited.

Then, the time came.

He and those with him attacked the creature masquerading as a child when it was most comfortable. They held it down and subdued it, and he crowed his achievement for the beast to hear. He had saved Ayame-san, and was ridding the world of it's evil! He was finally able to _save _somebody instead of watching them slip away! Even as the creature curled into a ball, he laughed and celebrated his victory over his demons.

And then came fire.

It came without warning, a maelstrom of fire and pain and death. A sound like madness and a whisper like death. It flowed from the fallen form of the beast, wrapped lovingly around those who had triumphed, and _burned._

_The last thing Adachi saw before he fell was a small, bloody child with eyes that held the hells._

0o0

When the boy first came to his stand, Teuchi was surprised. He had heard so much about the boy, none of it good, that he couldn't help but expect someone bigger, someone gruffer, someone angry with the world.

However, little Naruto was none of these. Sure, he was a little rough around the edges, but he was a small, cheerful, _underfed_ little boy. He had the look of an abused and abandoned pet, flinching every time Teuchi moved to fast and doubting every kindness done him. How anyone could see a demon in this _child_ was a mystery.

So, Teuchi took it upon himself to care for this boy as much as the boy would let him. He saw the wariness Naruto held when charged exactly what it said on the menu, and not more (and Teuchi knew Naruto would not pay _less_), the surprise when Teuchi greeted him _happily_ whenever he came in. Certainly, the boy hid it well, but Teuchi had been serving shinobi for years and saw well. He watched as Naruto relaxed, as Ayame adopted him, as that fragile mask became more Naruto than mask, day by day. And any who objected to his presence in Teuchi's stand, well, he didn't need their business anyway.

Then came the attack.

He knew something was wrong when he heard screams, _knew_ that _somehow_, Naruto was involved. He arrived just in time to see that massive chakra erupt, and he could _feel_ it's madness from where he stood, could see it eat it's victims alive. The ANBU arrived too late to save anyone, and the last thing Teuchi saw before the ANBU told him to leave was Naruto's broken body at the center of a pile of ash and charred remains.

After that, no matter how hard he tried, he was always wary of Naruto. When Ayame asked what was wrong, he could not explain. He could only shrug helplessly, and send her on some errand or assign some task, and be glad that Naruto still had her. He did not _want_ to be so wary, so _afraid_, but prey knows fear before a predator, and that which Naruto held? It was _the_ Apex Predator, the predator to end all predators. Occasionally, he would even glimpse that red, burning _madness _that he had seen that day curling through Naruto's eyes. That was when he feared most, and that was when Naruto's mask was most fragile, when the cracks were most visible, when Naruto tried his hardest to be _happy_.

It was never enough to suppress Teuchi's fear. His _instincts._

So, Teuchi unwillingly held himself back from Naruto, and watched as Naruto's mask grew, watched as the cracks formed in it, and he couldn't say he was surprised when it all ended.

0o0

Ayame first met the boy in her father's ramen stand. He came in and looked around, as skittish as the alley cat that came around occasionally. However, as soon as he noticed her watching, he became a bright, happy, _obnoxious_ little boy. He bounced in with all the confidence in the world and yelled for her dad. She watched as he ordered and saw how her dad made sure that this little boy had more in his bowl than the normal serving. She saw how he added extra meat to his bowl at no extra charge. She smiled then, and made sure to smile when the little boy left, to tell him to visit again.

And he did.

She watched as he slowly relaxed, as he started to look for her as he came in. How he would smile and it would light up the room as soon as he saw her. And in him, she found the brother she had lost. He always came to her to tell her of his achievements, brought flowers that were weeds, and it brought such love to her heart that it ached. She loved Naruto as if he truly were her little brother, her surrogate son. The day he called her nee-chan was one of the best days she had ever had.

When regulars at the stand started to complain about her little boy being around, she would just smile and suggest, in the sweetest tone possible, that they finish their meal and pay. Certainly, the frying pan she held may have helped, but she never actually threatened anybody. At least, not until that _pig _suggested that her Naruto-kun was a demon who had taken control of her and her father, and that he would be willing to 'help.'

Needless to say, he was no longer welcome at Ichiraku.

She watched her boy change from skittish alley cat to boisterous puppy. He would bounce in and demand her attention, which she gladly gave. She watched him grow, no longer skinny and underfed. Oh, he was still thin, but he no longer looked _starved._ She watched her father open up and care for Naruto, saw Naruto flourish under that care and be happy.

And then he was attacked.

She came home from errands one day, expecting to see Naruto joking with her father. Instead, she saw her father standing behind the counter, looking more than slightly stunned. He moved mechanically and didn't even notice she was there. When she went to talk to him, he jumped. When she asked him what was wrong, she found out that Naruto was in the hospital. Someone had attacked her boy and injured him to the point of hospitalization. She visited, and her boy, her little brother, he looked so _tiny_ and so very fragile on that hospital bed that she broke a little inside. Who could do this to her baby boy? Who could harm a child this badly? She visited him daily, and when he woke up, she was so happy that she almost didn't notice the fear that lit up his face, the red tint to his irises. She didn't push, however. Her little boy was alive, and that's all that mattered. If he was less exuberant at times, it was to be expected. Her father's new attitude towards Naruto worried her, but from what Ayame figured, he was probably afraid to lose Naruto like he had lost Hideki, and he would come around.

And those nasty rumors floating around about him? She didn't want to know anybody who would judge a person without knowing them, let alone judge a child for what he contained. She knew what he held, but she didn't care. He was hers, and no petty rumors or demon fox could change that.

0o0

The brat was a terror in class and out. Of this, Iruka was certain. He was a menace to all of the innocents around him, and as much as he respected the Hokage, he thought the man senile for allowing that _demon_ into a room full of children. The beast would not sit still and had no common decency, though why he would expect it from the fiend he didn't know. He was angry that the Hokage had assigned him as a teacher to that brat. It had killed his family, had made it so that he was _alone _in the world! He begged the Hokage daily to be reassigned, but Sarutobi refused.

Then he got the call.

As the boy's teacher, he was summoned by the Hokage when the boy was attacked. He had no idea why he should care. The brat got what it deserved. It had been running free in the village for too long as is. It should have been chained. It was inevitable, in Iruka's mind, that the boy would be attacked. After all, who wants a rabid dog wandering their home? It may even teach the beast a lesson, teach it to be circumspect. It's not like it would matter to him anyway.

At least, that was what he thought until he saw Naruto.

Naruto was lying, wrapped in gauze and hooked to monitors, in a hospital bed. He looked so _small_ at that moment that Iruka realized that, yes, he was only a child. And Iruka felt ashamed of himself for ever thinking otherwise. He should have known better. After all, he was also an orphan. He knew what it was to act out to gain attention. He should have realized that it wasn't the fox acting maliciously to disrupt and cause chaos. Naruto's pranks were the acts of a lonely child. They were the acts of someone who was so _alone_ that they didn't care if someone was angry with them. If someone was angry with them, that person was _there_, and concentrating on them. They weren't alone, in that brief moment. Naruto just wanted someone to look at him, to _see him._ And Iruka, whose job it was to take care of his students, had ignored Naruto in the most fundamental of ways. He had denied Naruto his understanding, had kept from him the care that any adult should have for a lone child, the care a teacher should have for their student. He, Iruka the orphan, had ignored a child in need. He had broken his promise to himself without a thought, his guarantee that _no_ child would be as alone as he had been, that _no_ child would suffer if he could help it.

And he was ashamed.

After that, Iruka took care of Naruto in little ways that wouldn't raise suspicion. He left extra food in the apartment, 'lost' braces of kunai and shuriken, and shadowed him home to make sure he got there safe. He slowly opened up to Naruto. He knew that a sudden change of attitude would make Naruto wary, so he moved slowly, until Naruto was more comfortable with him. He was enraged and so very sad every time Naruto flinched when he ruffled his hair. And he was relieved to see that not everyone had been as stupid as he had been when he saw Naruto visit Ichiraku. He slowly mended the breach his misguided hatred had caused and was so thankful that Naruto was such a forgiving child (although he would never forgive himself).

Sometimes, Naruto would get a look in his eyes, would drift off somewhere mentally, and when he came back, he tried so hard to be happy that Iruka knew something was wrong. He knew that something had permanently harmed Naruto during that attack, and he did his best to counteract it. He feared it might be the fox, and did his best to prove to Naruto that he cared, that Naruto was loved (and that had been a revelation to Iruka), and it helped. Naruto's eyes would lighten and that ominous shadow in the depths would disappear, and everything would be alright for a little while longer.

It was all going so well.

Then Mizuki, his brother in arms, told Naruto. And Iruka saw the realization in Naruto's eyes when Mizuki revealed what Naruto contained. He saw the resignation and despair and such heartbreaking _loneliness_ that he would do _anything_ to erase that look in Naruto's eyes.

So, when Mizuki attacked, Iruka threw himself into the fight with all he had.

He would not break his promise ever again.

0o0

All he could see was his failure whenever he looked at Naruto. The blond hair, so like his sensei's. The dream to be what his father had been. The determination that carried him through all his hardships, the drive towards success, the _ambition_ that he held. The cheerfulness, so very like his brother in battle (his _better_, although he acknowledged it far, far too late). His ability to bounce back from all that life dished out. All of it reminded him of his failures. So much so that he couldn't bear to look at the boy he was supposed to care for.

The boy that was his mentor's son.

Kakashi could not stand to look at the boy for long and it physically _hurt_ to be around Naruto for long. He was so like all that Kakashi had lost. Innocence and safety and family and love and _acceptance._ And when he looked Naruto in the eyes that first time, he knew he had another failure to add to his long, long list. Naruto had his father's blue, _blue_ eyes. However, the color is where the similarity ended. There was such pain in those eyes, such loneliness, such _resignation_ that Kakashi looked away immediately after, pulling out his Icha-Icha to cover his pain. He had failed his mentor's son, had failed him so miserably that Naruto held the eyes of a war weary shinobi who had lost all.

He had failed the boy before they had even met.

When the incident at Wave happened, he was so _very angry_. Naruto had drawn on the power of the beast that had killed his father, and he could feel the hatred, fear and madness that fed the beast.

He stayed away from Naruto after that, as much as he could. He knew it hurt Naruto, but he couldn't bring himself to face all that he had failed, everything he had let down. He couldn't bring himself to stifle the hatred and fear he felt for the beast Naruto held, and now, Naruto himself. However, he knew Naruto saw Sasuke as a pseudo brother, so he trained Sasuke as best he could, hoping to at least protect Naruto's brother. If he couldn't bring himself to face Naruto, he would try to protect what Naruto considered precious. He gave Sasuke the advantages he could afford to give, believing Sasuke would use them for Naruto. After all, Sasuke saw Naruto as a brother of sorts too, and who wouldn't protect family?

He was so lost in any hope of redemption he didn't consider the consequences.

0o0

Naruto was so much like Sasuke that they instantly clashed. They were both so lonely and _alone, _so frightened and so sad that they were bound to fight to hide it. Sasuke recognized in Naruto what he hated and feared about himself, and hated Naruto for it. And yet, for Sasuke, Naruto was a _friend_ (never a brother, because brothers _betray_). They were rivals in everything, even if Naruto was bad at it. Sasuke acknowledged no one other than Naruto, and there was camaraderie in their violence.

Naruto was the brother Sasuke would have if he trusted family anymore.

They trained together, fought together, ate together. And through it all, the loneliness started to ease, the fear of weakness waned. Naruto was a balm for all the edges Itachi had left behind when he had ripped Sasuke apart and haphazardly shoved him back together. He soothed the need for vengeance, quieted that voice madly baying for Itachi's (for he would _never_ be aniki again) blood. And when he saw some of the same madness in Naruto's eyes, he pulled him back from the depths. They were each other's buoy, kept each other afloat. Kept each other above the madness and despair they knew dwelled within. And no matter how many times he called Naruto weak, he _knew_ Naruto was strong.

The trip to Wave proved it.

When the two chuunin had attacked, Naruto had frozen. He wanted to hit the dobe _hard, _and tell him to pay attention. And then Naruto had been hit, and he didn't know what to do. The idiot could die, and all because he had decided to protect someone. But Naruto wasn't so weak as to die, and even as he pledged his nindo, Sasuke was relieved, although he would never admit to it.

They continued, and Naruto further proved how strong he could be.

He had had such _fear_ when Zabuza was there. It was like Itachi all over again, and he had hated himself in that moment. Then, Kakashi released them from their fear, and he saw how a _true_ jounin fought. He felt so weak and angry. He had so _far_ to go to reach Itachi's level that it seemed impossible.

But then Kakashi got trapped.

And he and Naruto were the one to save a jounin, to take down another jounin. Sure, the hunter nin had gotten to Zabuza and had been the one to deal the final blow, but he and Naruto were _winning against a jounin._ And suddenly, Itachi hadn't seemed so far away.

However, the battle on the bridge had proven him so very wrong.

He had seen Naruto in danger and just _acted_. There was so much fear that his mind was empty but for the thought of Naruto's death. He couldn't let the first person to see him as something other than a tragic survivor die. The first person to see _him_ since Itachi. He _would not_ let him die. So, he took the hits meant for Naruto, and was glad for it.

And he survived.

When he woke up, it was to a worried Naruto, quickly followed by the rest of Team 7. For a brief moment, he was _happy._ There were people here who cared for him, people who would be sad to see him die. People who would be there for _him_, and not his clan, not for Uchiha Sasuke. People who would be there for just Sasuke. He was content with that thought for a brief period of time.

And then he remembered.

He remembered the utter _terror_ that had gripped him when Naruto was in danger, the fear of his death. His willingness to _die_ to keep Naruto safe. He couldn't let that happen. He had let someone too close, had let someone waylay him on his path to avenging his clan. He couldn't allow that. And if Naruto wasn't strong enough to defend himself, then he would lose him. He would lose his only friend. Sasuke thought that if he must lose his only friend, the only person alive that he would consider family, it would be by his hand (and he wondered if this is how broken Itachi felt before he wiped all sympathy from his mind). He would push Naruto to become stronger, and if Naruto couldn't, then he would kill him.

And when the Chidori exploded through Naruto's chest, Sasuke looked Naruto in the eyes.

He watched the pain and sadness bleed through. Watched the _betrayal_ (and that _hurt_ so much more than words ever could) flood his expression, overriding the pain. Saw, as Naruto slumped on his arm, the madness take hold.

And when the insane laughter started, filled with _firepainmadnessdeath_, he acknowledged the voice in the back of his mind that cried with relief when the end came and the world turned to ash.

A/N: Thank you for reading!

Only second story written. I know some characters are OOC, but this is my interpretation of what others saw in the Shattered and Burning universe. Adachi was the stereo-typed villager, trying to gain 'revenge' for perceived wrongs and shortcomings. Teuchi was a man who had lost his wife and son to Kyuubi, but maintained his head about it and tried his best not to let the past overcome him. Ayame saw lost family and a purpose in Naruto. Iruka and his efforts at penance for a broken promise and shortsightedness. Kakashi saw his failures (obviously). Sasuke saw both weakness and strength. I was going to do one from Kyuubi's point of view, but I changed my mind. I like the way this one ended. I don't write often, so sorry for any mistakes or any incoherency in the story.


End file.
